CIES have published their latest study, and this time they’ve been attempting to find the best wonderkids in world football.
The Football Observatory use mathematical formulae to rank players based on statistical performances, minutes played and the performance of a player’s team to give each young player a ranking, and there are some interesting findings.
Vinicius Jr scored a perfect score of 100 out of 100, while the likes of Phil Foden and Sandro Tonali were also among the best players of their age groups.
Interestingly, a Leeds United player was ranked as one of the best players in the world in his age group, with Illan Meslier scoring as the 10th-best player born in the year 2000, ranking as the best goalkeeper born in that year.
CIES’ scoring system rated Meslier as a 90.1 out of 100. In context, Erling Haaland scored just 91.3, while Eduardo Camavinga scored just 86.7 so it’s clear to see just how highly Meslier is rated.
The French goalkeeper is an absolute star in the making, and while he was on the wrong end of a few thrashings over the past 12 months, his individual performances have been nothing short of exceptional.
Described as ‘phenomenal’ recently. It’s not hard to see why both Tottenham and Manchester United have had an eye on Meslier, and if he continues developing in this way, he should become one of the very best goalkeepers on the planet.
In terms of young goalies, there aren’t many that come close to Meslier, and as CIES’ research shows, he could well be one of the greatest stoppers of his generation.
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